The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 19

nnnnn BASEBALL: The Blue Jays and Royals, TSN, 7:30 p.m., and the Expos and Dodgers, TSN, 10:30 p.m. 1 11 BIG BEN STILL HAS THE JUMP i But Ian Millar (left) knows that time is catching up C3 RIDERS BLACK OUT HOME GAME v. Friday's contest against Hamilton won't be on TSN C3 Jk For free updated sports information, call 721 1990, 2666: The Local Sports Report 2700: The Canadian Sports Report 2760: The Major League Baseball Report 2770: The Pro Football Report 2773: The Pro Wrestling Report Lions 40 Argonauts 27 No other major sporting events were scheduled Tuesday. The major-league baseball schedule resumes today following the three-day all-star break. EI 1 SC0REB0ARDC4 BUSINESSC8 SECTION PAGES C1-C12 Alps don't suo Mountains no sweat (well, almost) for defending champion SERRE CHEVALIER, France Let the record show Miguel Indurain did break into a slight sweat while scaling the summit of Col du Galibier.

Alas, other signs of mortality were less obvious. The Tour de France made its initial foray into the Alps on Wednesday "the day the race begins," Tour legend Bernard Hinault had said and 1 Tour de France Yellow jersey: Miguel Indurain Stage 10 winner: Tony Rominger Canada: Steve Bauer, 114th overall, 44:27 behind Indurain Today's stage: Serre Chevalier Isola 2000, 180 km, four major climbs (two category one, two beyond category) WAYNE SCANLAN IN FRANCE 0 A-' 0 Holland and Colombia's Oliviera Rincon. Farther back was a group led by Italy's Gianni Bugno. But, as the stage wore on, the gap grew. Breukink, who started the day in second place, one minute 35 seconds behind Indurain, blew a chain on the 25-km descent 7 to the Serre Chevalier finish and lost more time.

7 If the day's climbs didn't rob the mere I mortals of their spirit, Indurain did. Among the race favorites who need bincoulars to see Big Mig atop the general classification list are: Claudio Chiapucci, 16th, 13:56 back; Raul Alcala, 14th, Roche, 12th, 12:59 and Alex Zulle, 10th, 11:09. Chiappucci, second to Indurain in last year's Tour, struggled badly on Wednesday, finishing 29th, nearly nine minutes behind. Bugno has surrendered 10:14 and Ham- psten, who finished fourth on the day, 1:13 behind Rominger, trails by 8:06. In the still- have-a-pulse group: Rominger, fifth, Breukink, fourth, Jaskula, third, and Mejia, second, 3:08.

"I made two or three attacks on Indurain and, each time, he was right on my wheel," said Rominger. "I don't know if it's possible to catch him, but winning this stage was very important to me." Lance Armstrong of the U.S. had a de- cent showing in his first ride in the Alps. Armstrong finished alongside former Tour mountain king Robert Millar of the U.K. in a group 21 minutes behind the leaders.

Steve Bauer of Fenwick, Ont, was in the largest pack, 33 minutes tardy. The early racing was marked by attacks by lesser players, including French riders Charly Mottet and Thierry Claveyrojat, doing their best to find a place on the podium to celebrate Bastille Day. They would have to settle for the usual evening fireworks. Big Mig answered every charge. Whatever hope his rivals have is in the al pine stages of the world's greatest bicycle race.

But, at the end of a 204-kilometre Stage 10 that featured three major mountain passes, the man in the lead group of three was the Spaniard in the yellow jersey. Indurain did not win the stage. That honor went to Swiss rider Tony Rominger, who, with Colombia's Alvaro Mejia, was Indurain's constant companion for the afternoon. Rominger passed Indurain on the penultimate corner of two wicked twists to the finish and crossed the line with a winning smile. indurain arrived third, content in the knowledge he had buried a few more contenders on the road to Galibier.

The race has reached its midpoint, 10 stages remaining before Paris. At ,645 metres, Galibier is the second-highest peak of the 1993 Tour, a climb so difficult (17.8 km by road, up a 6.8 per cent gradient) it is rated "beyond category" in a l-to-4 mountain-rating system. Since the previous day, cycling pilgrims had converged on the summit. Where there wasnt snow, there were tents, sub-freezing overnight temperatures being no serious deterrent to the serious pilgrim. Highlighted in orange and red spraypaint in the snow were the who's who of the race BUGNO, INDURAIN, ZULLE though the riders could never have picked out all the tributes among the sea of people.

Moses didn't have a flock like this. And the riders could have used his staff. Parting the sea was difficult at times, especially for a struggling Stephen Roche of Ireland. He swung an arm in the direction of a fanatic who had touched his back. Indurain was his cool self, the white Banesto cap pulled down over his sunglasses.

If he ever felt strained, it didn't show, a required element for the maillot jaune. On the previous climb, a category one ascent of Col du Telegraphe, Indurain led the attack of the day, along with Rominger, who rides for Clas, American Andrew Hampsten of Motorola and Zenon Jaskula, a Polish rider with GB-MG Mag-lificio. The group was soon joined by Motorola's Meija. Giving chase were Erik Breukink of Reuter photo Leading way: Indurain leads pack into mountain stage PAUL TRACY i I w-J Driving flat-out for greatness Canadian IndyCar racer, 24, like hockey star Wayne Gretzky before him, got on the fast track to superstardom with helping hand from his father File photo By Frank Orr For the Citizen Tracy racing in Toronto Molson Indy on the weekend What: Eighth Molson Indy, ninth round in 16-race PPG IndyCar World Series Where: Toronto, Exhibition Place, 2.87-kilometre street course with 1 1 left and right hand turns on Exhibition Place roads and a section of Lake Shore Boulevard When: Friday (practice 1 1 a.m., qualifying 2:30 p.m.); Saturday (practice 9 a.m., qualifying 1 1:45 a.m.); and Sunday (warmup 10 a.m., race 2 p.m.) Startfinishpit area: Between Coliseum and Automotive buildings, west of the Princess Gates Race distance: 103 laps, 295.61 kilometres (183.34 miles) Defending champion: Michael Andretti, who also won in 1991 and 1989 Purse: $1 million IndyCars: Open-wheel, single-seat vehicles with turbocharged engines, which can produce 700 to 800 horsepower and travel at a top speed of 379 kilometres an hour. Top speed on Exhibition Place circuit is 312 kmh.

Top drivers: Bobby Rahal, defending IndyCar World Series champion; Nigel Mansell, reigning Formula One world champion; Mario Andretti; Emerson Fittipaldi; Danny Sullivan; Al Unser, and Canadians Paul Tracy and Scott Goodyear, both of Toronto Other races: Saturday: Player's Ltd. Atlantic, 42 laps, 2:10 p.m., and Sunoco Trans-Am Classic, 4:15 p.m.; Sunday: Indy Lights, 42 laps, 11 a.m. Tickets: Individual reserved seating and packages $20 to $160; general admission $10 Friday, $15 Saturday, $25 Sunday and three-day pass $35, available by calling race hotline at 41 6-260-4639 or TicketMaster at 755-1 1 1 1 (add $2.75 service charge to each ticket and $1 .50 handling charge to each order) "41 TORONTO St was not your typical Canadian father-and-son scene. There were no hockey sticks to jam into the car, no bulky equipment bags to lug through snow. When Tony Tracy dropped his young son Paul off at their chosen arena, they unloaded a go-kart But like the folkloric relationship between Wayne Gretzky and his dad Walter, one of the newest Canadian superstars found his career in his father's footsteps.

And Paul Tracy began to trace them as a very small child. Indeed, Tracy the hottest man on four wheels right now and a favorite to win this Sunday's Mol-son Indy was barely of school age. "When I was a kid (eight years old), my dad would drop me off at the kart track when he was on his way to work and pick me up on his way home," Tracy says. "I would drive my kart and work around the track all day. "Later on, when other kids were hanging out at the shopping centre or getting into trouble, I'd be in the garage at home working on my go-kart, trying to find a way to make it go a little faster." His father, a painting contractor, was an avid auto racing devote, especially of the glamorous Formula One world championship series.

"My dad loved auto racing, going to all the races he could here and on trips to Europe, and reading most racing publications," Tracy says. "I can't remember not being interested in racing, and my dad helped me to develop that" His father brushes off the notion he was a "stage parent" who prodded his son into a career. "I didn't push Paul into racing," Tony Tracy says. "If anything, he pushed me into it. It just seemed he was always interested.

As soon as he was big enough to drive a kart, he would have driven one all day." Although auto racing and hockey are as disparate as chalk and cheese, the father-son relationships between the Tracys and that other father-son pairing, the Gretzkys, have parallels. Walter Gretzky played with his skinny 10-year-old son on the small rink in the backyard of their Brantford home, repeating the skill and instinct drills that helped shape hockey's finest offensive player. For the Tracys in Scarborough, their early training site was a go-kart track near Stouffville. That's where young Paul learned the basics of racing craft that are the foundation for his highly promising career. Tracy, now 24, will drive the streets of Exhibition Place and along Lake Shore Boulevard West on Sunday as a favorite to win the Molson Indy, the Toronto leg of the PPG IndyCar World Series.

His convincing victory last weekend in a race at Cleveland was his second of the season. It came two weeks after he finished third in Portland, to become the youngest driver to top $1 million in prize money. He also reached that plateau quicker (20 races) than anyone previously. Tracy still has a boyish look behind those round to the breaking point. When Mears was injured in a pre-race crash at the "92 Indianapolis 500, Tracy replaced him for the duration of the season.

This year, he took over as a full-time driver when Mears retired. Mears has stayed with the team as "coach" for the young driver. Tracy's big breakthrough came at Long Beach, where he won the race with a very mature drive. After a couple more contacts with walls, he has turned in two excellent performances with the third at Portland and the Cleveland win. He's now in the third year of a five-year deal with Penske, and negotiations have been held on the terms of a 1994 deal.

And Formula One, the ultimate forum of international auto racing, is showing interest; the strong Williams team has invited Tracy to go for a "test day" in Europe next month. "I don't know about that because my dad is my agent and he shields me from all that stuff," Tracy says. "I just want to concentrate on this season and winning for Penske Racing. My aim is to be in the top three in the points standing. Winning Cleveland was a big step, and now I want a big finish in Toronto.

It's my home track and I need the points." The year has been a big one for Tracy on all tracks. He married nursing student Tara Cormier in February and their daughter, Alysha, was born on the Thursday of Indianapolis 500 week in May. The family has a new house in Scarborough. "Racing is a very hectic life," Tracy says. "With so much time on the road for races and tests and making public-relations appearances for sponsors, it's tough just to have down time at home.

"Tara and Alysha are very good for me because racing can be a profession that can eat up every moment of your life. We travel together all we can and I'm working hard at getting time at home." Toronto Star son's career, even at the Indy Lights level, but he naturally lacked the kind of resources needed at the IndyCar racing level. If Tracy had found a sponsor, he would have had a ride with the good (at the time) Truesports team in 1991. He did use all his savings plus a donation from his father to "rent" a ride at the "91 Long Beach IndyCar race, where his handling of an underpowered machine impressed the right man. Roger Penske, the most successful owner in IndyCar racing, asked to meet the Tracys.

Soon Paul was offered a contract as test driver for the Penske team, working on the development of racing machinery and the pre-race shakedown of cars for the team drivers, splendid veterans Rick Mears and Emerson Fittipaldi. The deal included participation in a limited number of races. "It was a dream come true," Tracy said. "I had used up all my money on that (Long Beach) ride and had no sponsorship prospects. "Being a test driver meant a very large amount of driving time.

And being around Rick and Emo (Fittipaldi), who have done it all in racing, took about five years off my learning curve." Tracy was a slightly chubby lad when he joined the Penske team two years ago. His teammate Fittipaldi, in contrast, was a fitness-diet nut who, at 46, was still lean and hard to stand up to the rigors of racing. Fittipaldi inspired Tracy to log long hours in the gym and later, when Tracy broke a leg, to undertake a tough therapy program aimed at a quick recovery. At 180 pounds, Tracy is now 25 pounds lighter than when he joined Penske. That Tracy had the natural ability to go very fast in an Indy car was evident from the start.

But, impatience led to some big setbacks, especially crashes. One at Michigan caused his broken leg. A couple of others earlier this season cost him potential wins and led to rumbles that Tracy's impatience at the wheel had stretched Penske's patience Reuter photo Paul Tracy: Canadian's impatience has led to crashes (above, right), but he's showing signs of maturing behind wheel glasses and wide grin. But the chubby cheeks of a couple of years ago are gone. He's a father himself now.

And he has been through racing's trial by fire, nipping in the bud a reputation for not being able to finish the big races. He has gained the confidence and backing of some of his sport's best people. In short, the kid from Scarborough has become a man of the racing world, a contender. Just as Gretzky scored enormous numbers of points in peewee hockey, Tracy started winning kart races when he was 8. When he was 15, he was sixth in the 1984 world karting championships and, the next year, he moved up to auto racing and won the Canadian Formula Ford Championship, a series for open-wheeled racers.

Both Tracy and Gretzky, with their abundant natural talents and instincts for their sports, progressed through the amateur ranks quickly with individual achievements, then had extraordinary seasons just below the top level. Gretzky dominated the old World Hoqkey Association as a 17-year-old professional; Tracy, at 21, won nine of 14 races in the Indy Lights series, the training series for IndyCar racing. But making it big in the two pursuits happens differently. While Gretzky was soon playing in the National Hockey League on a huge contract, Tracy's world is sponsor-driven, financial backing a big part of any auto racer's career. Tony Tracy had bankrolled a large part of his.